The Changing Realm of Latin Jazz

Jazz - When many people think of Latin Jazz, a salsa dance party comes to mind, with hot dance rhythms charging behind jazz harmonies and improvised solos. This is certainly one aspect of the style - musicians like Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Cal Tjader, and Ray Barretto have gotten people around the oasis for a long time with jazz and Cuban rhythms.

Dance rhythms certainly hold a place in modern Latin Jazz, however a growing variety of artists have abandoned the oasis for several cultural and artistic influences. Today, many Latin Jazz musicians integrate rhythmic traditions from the broader spectrum of the Caribbean and South America, often blending cultural elements with modern jazz influences.

Edm - Traditional Afro-Peruvian rhythms have played a large part in the expansion of Latin Jazz, bringing rhythmic styles such as the festejo and landó into the style also an even more guitar heavy approach. Guitarist Richie Zellon has combined these traditions with jazz harmonies extensively while trumpet player Gabriel Alegria has evolved a distinctive approach along with his Afro-Peruvian Sextet.

While stateside Latin Jazz always carried a Puerto Rican influence, it's only recently been that artists have place a distinct emphasis upon the concept of traditional rhythms like bomba and plena supporting jazz contexts. Trombonist Papo Vazquez provides his ferocious command of bebop over Puerto Rican rhythms while saxophonist Miguel Zenón has dived deep into plena and classic Puerto Rican songs like a foundation for jazz.

Argentina happens to be noted for it's passionate tango, and lots of musicians have found that music is a natural fit for jazz. Bassist Pablo Aslan has produced a definite language for improvising around tango structures while pianist Pablo Ziegler continues the work of influential composer Astor Piazzolla having a distinct jazz twist.

Listeners often look at the lush bossa novas of Antonio Carlos Jobim once they think about the combination of Brazilian rhythms and jazz, but the style is continuing to grow into something much more dynamic. Pianist Jovino Santos Neto has built upon his long tenure with composer Hermeto Pascoal and created a highly creative repertoire of original Brazilian jazz while drummer Duduka Da Fonseca has blended the freedom behind a fresh York jazz sensibility with dynamic samba rhythms.

Latin jazz - The dance floor is certainly still part of Latin Jazz - just listen to the music activity of Poncho Sanchez or Pete Escovedo to get a healthy dose of danceable jazz. The design and style has certainly expanded artistically, reflecting a more encompassing spectrum of Latin traditions and providing listeners a more diverse experience.